Jonesboro, AR – JonesboroRightNow.com – The Public Safety Committee discussed two possible lease options for a second police station in Jonesboro during its Tuesday meeting.

Whichever building is ultimately selected would act as a second police station, rather than replace the existing facility located at 1001 S. Caraway Road, Jonesboro Police Department Chief Rick Elliott previously told JRN.

The second building would house police operations currently located in various government buildings across the city. Those operations moved after a structural issue caused the Justice Complex, located in downtown Jonesboro, to be vacated.

One location being considered is First United Methodist Church’s (FUMC) youth building, which is 36,000 square feet and three stories tall. According to the proposed lease agreement, which is in its draft phase, rent for the facility starts at $375,000 per year and gradually increases to just under $410,000 per year over a period of five years, although the agreement notes that those prices are “to be discussed.”

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The other location being proposed is at 1421 S. Caraway Road, formerly Park Place Inn, which, according to its lease proposal, is a one-level, 12,279-square-foot building with 34 parking spaces. The proposed lease term is five years, with the landlord, Coldwell Banker Commercial, having the option to sell the property to the city after those five years.

Rent would be $16,000 a month, “as is,” or $18,000 a month with a $200,000 tenant improvement allowance. Officials said this would amount to about $200,000 in rent annually.

Officials added that this facility was up for purchase, with a buyout costing around $2 million. Don Parker, who chairs FUMC’s board of trustees, told committee members that the church’s youth building was not currently for sale, but they would be open to further discussion.

Elliott, as well as Assistant Police Chief Lynn Waterworth, told committee members that they could use either building as a police facility, and that, regardless of which building was selected, JPD would be consolidated into two buildings.

“We’re all fairly confident in the next five years, we’re not gonna be building a new police department. I don’t think in the next 10 years, we’re gonna be building a new police department. So, whatever we’re committing to on one of these two pieces of property, or anything else pops up between now and then, it’s probably gonna be a 10-plus year ordeal,” Elliott said.

If the FUMC youth building were selected, all of JPD’s divisions, except patrol and evidence, would be moved there. If the former Park Place Inn were selected, patrol, as well as all divisions, would be moved to various Parks and Recreation Department buildings, such as the many community centers.

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Police officials said the FUMC building would meet the needs of the department now, as well as for 30 to 40 years in the future. However, it would require additional construction and renovations to make the building secure for police work, which Elliott estimated would cost around $1 million.

The former Park Place Inn would meet the department’s needs for the next 10 years, according to Elliott. However, it sits on around five acres of property, which could allow for the construction of a new facility if the need arose, he said. It would also require some renovation work to install heat, air, plumbing, and cubicles.

“That’s just bringing it down to a financial decision for me, because you’re both telling me that either one is adequate, I’m telling you that in 10 years, we’re gonna be building a new [police] station, so we just have to figure out which one’s gonna be the best bang for our buck for that 10-year period,” said committee member Chris Moore.

The next steps for either facility will be hiring an architect for the renovation and remodeling needed. No official renovation timeline was presented, nor was a timeline for when police operations could begin in either building, but officials noted that the timeline would be quicker for a smaller building.

Tuesday night’s presentation was a discussion of the two lease proposals, so no legislative action was taken.

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